Learn singing and gain self-confidence in Mad river, California

Have you always wanted to become a singer?

Many people dream of singing, but few take the steps required to learn. Here are some quick tips that will teach you how to learn to sing, on your own or with assistance:

Before You Begin

Before you begin, listen to a lot of different songs in many genres. That will help you settle on a style that best suits your voice and personality. Do you want to sing rock music? Opera? Maybe country and western or maybe rhythm and blues suits your style best.

Next, start practicing to find your natural vocal range. Sing a note that you can comfortably hit. Then sing progressively higher notes until your sound quality decreases. Go back to the first note and then sing down the scale to find the bottom of your range.

That is an informal exercise, but it will help you get an idea of which notes you can comfortably sing, and which ones you need to work on.

Self-Study

Many vocalists teach themselves to sing.

Learning to sing by listening to other singers, without formal training, is called 'singing by ear.' While some classically trained vocalists frown on this approach, it can lay the foundation for strong pitch recognition.

The problem with learning to sing by ear is that you can develop bad habits that are difficult to break later in life. Professional lessons can be expensive. Many singers find a middle ground by using self-study courses.

Self-study singing courses typically contain videos or audio files that guide you through warm-ups and vocal exercises. They can help you expand your lung capacity, control your breathing, increase your vocal range, and sing smoothly across your vocal breaks.

Read reviews before you purchase a product if you decide to go this route. Some systems are better than others, so user reviews can be very helpful. You can find self-study singing courses online, or at your local library or book store.

Professional Help

If you would prefer to do your learning face-to-face, consider signing up for singing lessons. Look for voice coaches in your area, or get a referral from friends who have had a good experience with a particular instructor.

Try joining a choir at your church, community, or school center if the cost of voice lessons is a little steep for your budget. That will give you access to an instructor and other singers that you can trade tips and techniques with.

Advanced Techniques

After you've spent some time practicing, you might decide that you enjoy singing and want to do more of it. It can be a little daunting to sing solo when you're accustomed to singing with a group, but a little practice will decrease nervousness.

You can use your self-study course or your instructor to learn advanced techniques like perfecting your head voice, reaching into your falsetto range, and developing a vibrato. You will also learn to read music and transpose your favorite songs into a different key so that you can sing them easily.

Now you know how to learn to sing without putting a huge dent in your bank account. Have fun experimenting with different musical styles and gaining confidence in your voice!

All singers have a natural vocal range; that is, they have a series of notes that they feel most comfortable singing. For some, this is a range of low notes. Others can sing higher notes without difficulty.

Do you know what your vocal range is? Do you want to expand it? There are ways to measure your vocal range and techniques you can use to master the notes above and below your range.

Measuring Your Vocal Range

Unless you have the help of an instructor, you will need some sort of tuning guide to help you measure your range. That could be a piano, organ, guitar, or a tuning software program.

First, make sure the instrument is properly tuned. Then play a middle 'C'. Match your voice to the note that the instrument plays. Then play up the C chromatic scale (C, C#, D, D #, E, F, F#, G, G #, A, A #, B, C) and match your voice to each note in succession.

Keep going up the scale until you switch from your chest voice to your head voice. This natural shift is called your 'vocal break.' The chest voice is deeper and resonates lower in your throat. The head voice is thinner and resonates at the back of your soft palate.

The highest note you can comfortably sing without straining is the top of your vocal range. That will change over time; singing exercises and regular practice can help you sing higher, and factors like age and tobacco use can deepen the voice.

After you've found the upper limit of your vocal range, play down the scale (C, B, Bb, A, Ab, G, Gb, F, E, Eb, D, Db, C) to find the lowest note you can comfortably sing. That is the bottom of your range.

Expanding Your Vocal Range

It takes time and practice to develop a wider vocal range, but vocalists do it all the time. To start, practice singing the notes near the top of your range. You might notice that you have some difficulty singing them with good quality and control, but that will improve over time.

Begin by adding 1 to 3 notes to the top of your vocal range. These might be notes that transcend your vocal break. You will need to develop a mixed voice that combines your chest and head voices to sing these notes smoothly if so.

When you learn to sing in a mixed voice and produce seamless notes that cross your vocal break, this is known as 'bridging the gap.' The better you can sing the notes around your vocal break, the smoother your vocal performances will be-- and the higher you can comfortably sing.

Vocal Range Extremes

Most people sing in the middle vocal ranges, with a much smaller number having very high natural singing voices (sopranos), or very low singing voices (basses). Women typically sing alto, mezzo-soprano, or tenor. Men typically sing tenor, contralto or baritone.

While most people can learn to sing high notes well above their natural range, it's important to recognize the difference between your head voice and a falsetto voice.

The head voice is slightly airy, lacking the deep resonance of the chest voice (which is closer in tone and quality to the speaking voice). With practice, you can give your head voice a richer sound with more power behind your notes.

Falsetto is a range above your head voice. When you've switched to falsetto is to press your fingers against your throat as you sing, the easiest way to tell. As you produce progressively higher notes, you will notice that the notes vibrate higher in your throat and in the roof of your mouth. Your vocal chords will not vibrate at all when you sing when you switch to falsetto.

No matter your starting point, regular daily practice will help you expand your range and improve the quality of all the notes you sing, high and low.

Sing progressively higher notes until your sound quality decreases. Go back to the first note and then sing down the scale to find the bottom of your range.

Others can sing higher notes without difficulty.

If so, you will need to develop a mixed voice that combines your chest and head voices to sing these notes smoothly.

Most people sing in the middle vocal ranges, with a much smaller number having very high natural singing voices (sopranos), or very low singing voices (basses).